Phd Definition and 1000 Threads

I am currently 2nd EE, telecommunications. I am medium student. But given the fact that my college demands are high, I am doing well. I can say for myself that I understand a lot things. I have trouble with calculations, but I am very fast learner. Here at my college, few courses don't...

Is there a good book or article on why the numbers of PhDs per capita in physics have been plummeting over the years? Thank you

Hi everyone! I would like to ask you for some advice on a decision I need to take soon... I am about to finish a PhD in theoretical physics, and I decided to leave academia. I recently landed a job offer, where I would be working as a financial consultant in risk management. The job...

Hi everyone, I am finishing my second year of masters in France on theoretical physics and I am really really motivated in pursuing into a PhD. The topics that interest me the most are lattice QCD and numerical relativity (I want to focus on numerical methods). Also, I would like to work on one...

I'm almost done with my PhD in physics(hep-ex). It's about 6-7 months till I'm out. I was curious about everyone's opinions on what is the right time to start looking/applying for jobs. Is now too early (or should I have already started)? Not really interested in post-docs, so this purely a...

Hi All, Just some quick background that may be relevant before my question: I am 29 years old and am back in school after not knowing what I wanted to after high school. Originally, I did well some terms and not so well other terms starting out, and I ended up taking a ~5year break. In my...

PhD Astronomy Prof: "Paucity of evidence for the Big Bang" an acquaintance of mine who holds a PhD in physics and teaches astronomy at a university says the is "a paucity of evidence for Big Bang theorizing". After I close my gaping mouth how should I respond?

I have already completed all my core courses, and more than minimum requirements (bunch of courses in Operations Research and Transportation Systems). However, it always seems to me that there is just more stuff I want to keep learning (mostly in Applied Math). I usually don't take more than one...

Hello All I have done Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) and has 4 years of work-ex in software and hardware industry. I am applying for PhD (Physics) for fall 2012 for Theoretical Physics (High energy / Particle / Nuclear / Quantum physics) My scores: Subject GRE (Physics): 940/990...

To elaborate, are they looking for a specific last year thesis for example? I'm reading a four year physics MSci.

PhD from a "regular" University Hi, So I recently started grad school going for a PhD in Physics at Oregon State University.So far It seems like a decent program and the research is interesting. I've just started thinking about what kind of opportunities I'll have after I get my PhD though...

I'm currently in my first semester of a physics PhD program, straight out of undergrad. At the end of my senior year of undergrad, I was already feeling burnt out and tired of course work, but my profs pushed grad school as the smart and best choice. So I went. Since I moved here (14 hours...

Hi, Everyone: I recently passed my oral exams for my Math PHD, and I am going on into the actual thesis prep. My problem is that I (wrongly) believed that the topic I worked on for the 2nd exam -- call it T--,was supposed to be an "entry" into the general area I was interested in, and...

Hi guys, I am trying to figure out what Applied Math PhD programs I should I apply to this fall. My main interests are in computational science, specifically numerical methods and stochastic methods. My profile is as follow: Undergrad: big state school, solid reputation in math Major...

Hi everyone, I am thinking of applying for a PhD in Astrophysics to start in October 2012, at the moment I'm still researching different Unis both here and abroad but in doing my research I've seen that for your long term career prospects it doesn't matter so much what Uni you go to, but more...

So I have a 1st class honours degree in maths and physics from my undergrad university. I then went on to do the part iii course at cambridge where i did only theoretical physics courses. I got a merit for that. Currently I'm working abroad for a year in a non-maths related job (hopefully my...

Hi guys, I'm really struggling with the beginning of my PhD project and could use some opinions how I should proceed. And also just to express my feelings in a written form. So in a few weeks I'm about to officially become a full-time PhD student working in a research group where I have...

Greetings to the members and staff of this forum which I find very good. I want to know if it is possible to prepare a PhD in an American university without having a course in physics. I have a background in natural science (biology) and in management but I am passionate in physics. I knew...

Right now I'm a sophomore majoring in physics and I honestly don't have very many skills. I am great with computer/electronics repair and networking(as a hobby), but that's about it. I kind of wish I learned some of these skills earlier, so that they would be even better by now. Which is what I...

I'm a 3rd year undergraduate in Spain contemplating continuing my studies upon graduating next year. I was initially considering doing my 4th final year via Erasmus exchange at Imperial College London so I could take some electives that my university doesn't offer. Unfortunately today I found...

I'm doing a particle physics-based PhD at a british university and have returned a few weeks earlier than my official start date to get familiarised with what I'll be doing. I've been treating it as a 9-5 job, and doing little bits of reading etc. on nights and at the weekend. I've heard all...

Physics PhD ---> Business Consulting? How does that work out? Why are Physics PhDs hired to do this kind of work? Why not somebody with with a Finance degree or some such? I actually know someone who's partners with somebody else in a (new-ish) business consulting firm and I asked her if...

I am a Mathematics and Physics double major, currently in my second year. I really enjoy both subjects, but my interests are progressing towards Theoretical physics/mathematical physics. My academic goal is to improve my understanding of how the universe works and thus I would like to pursue a...

I just started grad school in Physics a few weeks ago, but I have recently considered quitting in order to start or join an existing startup, probably related to software. But I am also considering staying in my phD program (maybe leaving with an MS) and just doing research in an area of Physics...

Like many, I'm applying to graduate schools in physics this fall. My interests lie in experimental condensed matter/physical chemistry, although I think this question applies to any field. As we all know, modern science is big and expensive. I was considering some smaller schools, but was...

Dear PF, I will be completing my PhD in Astronomy (specializing in cosmology) early next year, but I am unsure if I want to continue on with a post-doc. I have been looking into other career options lately, especially in finance and consulting. However, I haven't been able to find answers to...

Does it matter where I am doing my PhD from?

I finished my undergrad last year and joined this phd program in fall. I passed the qualifiers in December, and over the two semesters, I have completed all the necessary phd courses, taking no master's courses. Early in the year, I was contacted by a Professor in hep-exp to try out his group...

I've just drafted a statement of purpose for one of the schools I'm planning on applying to this winter. I have an average GPA for a prospective grad student, and my PGRE score isn't bad but doesn't impress, so I'm hoping to make up some points on my SOP and letters of recommendation. I'd really...

I would like to study Maths or Physics for my undergrad and eventually, go to grad school. I can't possibly know if I'd want to go to grad school in science and I'm just curious with regards to what it takes to get into a Finance PhD program. For maths/physics, it is my understanding that very...

1) If you have a BS in physics, what is the minimum amount of time to get a PhD in physics? Typically, is it best to get it done quickly or take your time with it, maybe getting your masters first? Also, if I don't want to become a professor, is it really worth me getting? 2) I want to get into...

I'm about to start the fourth year of my undergraduate physics course at Cambridge in the UK at the end of which I will be awarded an M.Sci and B.A. Since I am confident that I want to continue in academia, I have started looking around for a PhD. Since, I'm not a British citizen (but I am EU so...

http://youtu.be/--z4YzxlT8o PhD in Chemistry from CalTech, Walter White has lung cancer and cooks the finest meth on the market. Anybody here watch the show? I've seen the first two seasons; very addictive. Like with a lot of shows I have seen though, if one were to watch "just" the first...

I'm at a decent university(Manchester university) know I can get first. Got 70% in first year even through I failed a course because it was stupid MATLAB and refused to do it, if I did would have got 80%(read book about Grothendieck that strongly influenced me, which probably hurt my grades...

I'm starting my PhD a few weeks from now. I'm just wondering if I will likely have any free time to enjoy myself, or whether the next 3 years are going to be a long, hard battle with hardly enough time to pause for breath?

This is a follow-up to some of the advice I was given at the thread I created called "Shortest Path to a PhD in Math or Theoretical Physics" and here it is for reference: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=521408 After looking around on the internet here is a path which I could...

How is this possible? Why are they accepting people with only bachelors degree to enroll in the program?

So I'm getting to the point now where I need to start looking at graduate schools in mathematics. Being a pure math major my original plan has always been to get a phd in pure math and from there attempt to break into academia. But the more I learn about the current academic climate, the more...

Hi all! I am a Erasmus Master student in Germany (FSU Jena) and doing my master thesis at Carl Zeiss in the field of Optical Metrology - specifically on surface characterization and scatterometry. I spent the first yr of my masters course at Imperial College, London and doing my second yr in...

Let's say I don't use any financial aid or any scholarship. How much would I be paying from 1st year college until my PhD in Physics. Just give an average or if you have a PhD in Physics how much did you spend getting it. Another Question. I'm going in a community college right now because...

Hi, I'm looking for general advice on quite a few topics related to grad school. I'll give you some background information and then ask the questions which I've been having trouble reaching conclusions about. I am a senior at MIT majoring in math with computer science. During Sophomore...

Hello everybody, What kind of job (career) that someone with PhD in Physics (Microfluidics) can handle? I am interested in that field and i would like to know what kind of jobs i can do after i finish my PhD (Apart from post-doc). Thank you

As of right now I'm a rising sophomore, math and physics double major. It's hard to say whether I'm going to be pursuing a PhD in one of these disciplines or whether I'll be switching to something more employable later, as I haven't had many upper division classes. I do, however, strongly...

I have my profile typed up https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=520174", but that thread seems to have become mostly about stats, my interest here is in my chances at a couple of institutions that feel like reaches to me, but in areas that I have a lot of background in. So, can...

So when I enter my phd program next year, I'm going to be probably doing the usual 3 classes per semester for the first year thing. However, due to my department not... well, having any TA positions, I won't have a TAship for the first year :P. Is it crazy to try to get an adjunct position at a...

For the key stuff, just glance at the bold statements and my program choices. So; I tend to think that my stats are pretty iffy, but I'd like to see if I can get any input. I'm applying to a variety of programs (though I'm only putting up the math and stats choices here) because I've got a...

I am curious to know if someone from a physics Masters program at a state school (high GPA, excellent research) has the the same chance of admission to Harvard, Princeton, or MIT PhD program vs someone with similar stats from undergraduate. How hard is it to get into top 10 schools from Master's...

I'm just an undergrad who has to make a big decision about grad school pretty soon. While I've been sure about this for a long time, I just want to collect as much information as possible :) Title asks the relevant questions :) Thanks

What is everyones opinion on the future employability of a PhD in nuclear engineering? I am planning on going to Georgia Tech's nuclear engineering department and I'm curious as to the employability in industry of such a field. I am hoping to work on fusion/plasma physics and I assume industry...

I recently finished an engineering Ph.D. in the area of heat and mass transfer. I graduated from a top-ten engineering school. I have average publications but I am only 25 years old and know I have a lot of potential. Both my grad and undergrad GPA > 3.8. I have been looking for a job for...